Actor Lee Jang-woo's Japanese restaurant 'Garae' has closed down just 9 months after opening.
The 'Garae' team announced that they ended operations on the 31st of last month. Currently, Naver Maps displays a notice saying, "We will cease operations as of September 1st. Thank you for your patronage."
'Garae' opened in December last year. It only sold curry as a single menu item, priced at 10,000 won. Customers could add toppings such as an egg yolk for 500 won and meat for 4,000 won, while curry could be added for 3,000 won and rice for 2,000 won. Cabbage salad was served as a side dish.
However, 'Garae' faced harsh criticism from the beginning. This became a hot topic in online communities.
In March, an internet user A said, "I usually never think my money is wasted, but this was really a waste. I don't think I'll go back again."
User A commented, "It just tastes like Japanese SB curry, and for 10,500 won, you get curry and a side of cabbage salad without any soup. They charge extra for additional curry and rice, but the portions are too small."
Lee Jang-woo was recognized for his business acumen by Baek Jong-won, the CEO of The Born Korea, on tvN's 'Master in the House 2' in 2023, and transformed into a food entrepreneur in December of that year. He subsequently opened various establishments, including a udon shop, a blood sausage soup restaurant, and walnut cookies.
Previously, Lee Jang-woo acknowledged the criticism received by his blood sausage soup restaurant in a web content appearance. He confessed, "I boiled 100 pig heads a day, and after peeling them, discarding the bones, and washing all the ingredients, it became systemically too difficult, and the quality kept declining. Even I found it tasteless."
He later mentioned that he resolved to "start over" and improve the quality again.
Meanwhile, Lee Jang-woo is set to marry actress Jo Hye-won in November.
[Kim Mi-ji, Star Today Reporter]
